1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to bicycles, and in particular to a bicycle which will provide exercise to the arms and upper body of the rider, and a handlebar arrangement that is adaptable to existing bicycles to achieve this result.
2. Description of Related Art
It has long been recognized that a bicycle, while an excellent form of exercise, mainly provides good exercise for developing the muscular strength of the legs and for building up cardiovascular endurance, while making little or no use of the arms and upper body.
Thus, in the development of stationary exercise bicycles, an important area of focus has been on providing a more general body workout, including exercise of the abdomen, back, and arms, as well as increasing the amount of aerobic exercise provided, through the provision of movable handlebar assemblies which, for the most part, supplement the exercise provided by pedaling with a rowing type of arm exerciser. Three recent examples of such exercise bicycles can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,838,544; 4,844,451; and 4,850,587.
In the case of bicycles that are designed to be ridden for transportation and/or recreational purposes, the fact that a rider's arms are utilized mainly for stability and steering purposes has been viewed primarily as a waste of a source of extra propulsion for the bicycle, and only secondarily, if at all, from the standpoint of providing exercise to the arms and upper body. Hubbard U.S. Pat. No. 1,503,832; Lindsey, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,370; Green U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,840; and Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,662 are representative of bicycles which have been developed and which utilize both the arms and legs for propulsion purposes.
Of these bicycle patents, only the Lindsey, Jr. and Phillips patents have been designed with a thought to use on existing, conventional bicycle frames with little or no modification thereto. In both cases the handlebar assembly of a conventional bicycle is replaced with a sprocket chain arrangement, the chain being coupled to a gearing on the front wheel (which must be provided with a hub of the type previously associated only with bicycle rear wheels).
In the case of the Lindsey, Jr. patent, the handlebar arrangement is designed to allow the handlebars to be pivotally moved forward and rearwardly in a rowing type of movement for driving a crank actuated front sprocket that is carried by struts of the assembly and which drives the sprocket chain. On the other hand, in the Phillips patent, the handlebar assembly is formed by handles provided on crank arms that are connected to the sprocket gear of the handlebar drive assembly, itself.
The Green and Hubbard patents disclose arrangements wherein a rowing motion of a handlebar assembly is transmitted to the rear wheels of the cycle. However, the arrangement of the Green bicycle is complicated and appears inherently unstable from both a structural and riding standpoint, except, perhaps, When utilized as a stationary exercise machine. In contrast, the Hubbard tricycle is a crude arrangement which requires the arms to be utilized as a primary source of power, thereby eliminating the possibility of riding without use of the arms, which is important since the arms of a rider are likely to often fatigue before the rider's legs.
Furthermore, in the case of all of the noted bicycles wherein the handlebar assembly is utilized for motive purposes, the degree of exercise provided to the arms and from them to the upper body is inherently linked to the effort being exerted by the rider's legs, the speed of travel of the cycle, and the terrain (uphill, downhill or flat) over which the bicycle is travelling. Also, because of the need to transfer motive force between the handlebar assembly and the wheel it is driving, such arrangements must be more complex and costly than is possible for one designed solely to provide upper body exercise.
Thus, there is still a need for an arrangement by which a conventional bicycle can be easily and economically adapted to provide exercise to the arms and upper body of the rider, at the rider's option and independent of any factors that are linked to propulsion of the bicycle.